Mammals
Indri
Indri indri · also called babakoto
A loud, wailing song echoes through the Madagascan rainforest canopy as an indri family announces its territory, the largest living lemur species and one so specialised that it has never once survived long-term in a zoo anywhere in the world.
Overview
The indri, Indri indri, is the largest living lemur species, native exclusively to rainforest habitat within a limited part of eastern Madagascar. Its loud, far-carrying wailing songs, near-total absence of a tail, and inability to survive long-term in captivity make it one of the most acoustically distinctive and genuinely irreplaceable primates found anywhere on Earth.
A song that can’t be replicated in captivity
Every attempt to keep the indri in captivity has ultimately failed, making this haunting, singing lemur one of the rare large primates that exists purely on its own terms, entirely dependent on the specific rainforest it calls home.
Status
Critically Endangered, having declined severely due to rainforest clearing for agriculture and logging across eastern Madagascar, alongside hunting in some areas despite local cultural taboos.
Indri: common questions
Why can't the indri be kept in zoos?
This species has never been successfully maintained long-term in captivity anywhere in the world, likely due to its highly specialised leaf-based diet, which is genuinely difficult to replicate outside its native rainforest, along with specific social and environmental needs that captivity struggles to meet.
How loud is the indri's song?
This species produces loud, distinctive wailing songs that can carry for several kilometres through the rainforest, used to advertise territory and maintain contact with family members across considerable distances within dense forest.
Why does the indri have almost no tail?
This species has only a vestigial stub of a tail, an unusual trait among lemurs, most of which have long tails used for balance while moving through the trees, though the indri instead relies on powerful hind legs for its own style of leaping locomotion.
How does local culture help protect the indri?
This species is protected in parts of its range by a local cultural taboo, or fady, that traditionally discourages hunting or harming the animal, offering an informal layer of protection that has helped some populations persist alongside formal conservation efforts.